Bill Ward ‘At Peace’ After Being ‘Torn Apart’ By Black Sabbath Split

During a poetry reading in downtown Los Angeles last Saturday (Aug. 25), Bill Ward addressed the events surrounding his absence from the 2012 Black Sabbath reunion and subsequent farewell tour, saying, "I’m through anything that was negative about those times."

The drummer joined Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler onstage at a press conference in late 2011 to announce a new album and tour with the band's original lineup, but a few months later revealed he wouldn't be taking part in the recording process do to an "unsignable contract." That began a war of words with his former bandmates which played out over the next five years until the group performed their final show in early 2017.

According to writer Joel Gausten, Ward talked about the split and how he is at peace with it following a reading of poems from his recently released book and vinyl set Absence of Corners at The Last Book Store in L.A. during an audience Q&A.

“In 2012, I went through such a departure of love and relationship; [it was] something that was really damaging for me and damaging for a lot of people in [those] relationships,” Ward said. “A lot of the things which are kind of emerging in the poetry are really in my recovery from the detachment from something that was very sacred to me. My love was torn apart; my heart was ripped to pieces. I feel very much at peace. The things of 2012 are past. I’m in a very enlightened place; I love the people I’ve worked with all my life...I’m through anything that was negative about those times.”

Ward said that it was his belief in a higher power that helped him get through the turbulent and emotional times, adding, "My own pain, my own sadness has brought me to a place of surrender, so I’ll surrender to the truth anyway and go, ‘You know what? I need to talk to somebody about this.’ Try not to be alone with your own pain. Try to find someone you can trust your pain with. It’s really important that we communally share what’s going on with each other…Otherwise, we’re going to be walking around in a very sorrowful place.”

Even months after Sabbath played their final show in their hometown of Birmingham, England, Ward was still expressing his sadness about not being a part of the tour and mourning the loss of his friendship with Osbourne and Iommi. He also defended his decision not to take part in the shows as a special guest or just for the last gig, saying it "would put me in an elitist position and I can’t do that for all the other fans who couldn’t see that one gig."

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